


Art Room

by giolato



Category: Ed Edd n Eddy
Genre: Boys Kissing, Culture Shock, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:41:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24795583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/giolato/pseuds/giolato
Summary: Rolf gets a bad grade, and Ed agrees to help.
Relationships: Ed/Rolf (Ed Edd n Eddy)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 28





	Art Room

Yet another progress report scarred by the pressure and ink of an angry administrator's pen—And another D in typing. Rolf clenched the cardstock with clammy fingers, shifting his line of vision from letter grade to letter grade until a honeyed voice sprinkled into the hallway of lockers in which he stood.

"Might I say, I am incredibly proud of you, gentlemen. For buckling down and taking in all academia has to offer you in these momentous years. One day, you'll thank not only me, but your current selves, for setting your own bars high enough to guarantee you a life of luxury!"

"Shut up. I wouldn't sit down and listen to Mrs. Jones talk about the value of whatever for you if you were a hot babe- My dad took my TV and my record player ALL because of YOU!"

  
"My mom only let me have one chicken drumstick to eat for three days while the rest went to Sarah..."

Rolf squirmed at the thought of being in such a position. Three days without the mouth—watering taste of seared animal flesh, from chicken to pork to beef on a skewer. He would pity Ed, but that was then, and this was now—If papa got ahold of his unsightly report card, he would lead Rolf to a patch of the forest where the trees grew particularly dense, and tell him to find the sturdiest stick to hit him with. He turned to face the elusive and exclusive friend group no one bothered to call anything but The Eds.

"Ed, I'd be happy to cook you a lovely, healthy dinner..." Double D put his tiny hand on Ed's shoulder, urging his forlorn, soft-headed friend to face him.

As if blown away by the wind, his pout turned to a look of surprise. "Mucky, yucky, SALAD!! Do you have any stew?"

Eddy, their small but mighty leader, scrubbed the sole of his shoe into a skid on the linoleum flooring with a look of redirected disgust. "Come on!"

  
  
"Snake in the grass Ed-boys," Rolf called. "I beg of you, change the letter on this page. Else the son of a shepherd will become the son of the worms in the compost bin!"

"...I'm sorry, Rolf, I don't see what you mean... Could you perhaps use some tutoring?" Double D asked slowly. Rolf stomped, making his way to Eddy.

"No-Neck! Rolf requires your assistance, yes? Fix this with your doohickey," he said.

"My brother's Report Card Changing Kit?" Eddy scoffed, whipping to face Double D. "My dad took it from me and snapped it in half over his KNEE."

"Eddy, that was WEEKS ago by now!"

Before the two could break into bickering, the tallest Ed reached for Rolf's report card. He gave a warm, genuine smile. "I can help."

Rolf examined the younger boy's pasty, oily skin, dotted across the cheeks with light freckles, and the grassy color of his eyes, which always seemed to look through him instead of directly at him. He cocked his head at the notion passive aggressively. "Rolf will spare you the strain."

"Really, I can help! A trust in Ed is a trust in bed." He smirked. Rolf straightened his back at the unusual choice of words, hiding his worry.

"Ed? It's okay," Double D said in a sharp, quiet voice. His brows furrowed as he tugged at Ed's dingy green sleeve.

Ed nodded back at him. "I will see you later, Eddy and Double D." With that assertiveness, the two shuffled away. Rolf could almost imagine a magnetic force suctioning the two side by side, and for a brief moment, he allowed himself to long for such companionship. Even with Kevin, a carrot-haired, jock-like boy who had invited him into his home to watch shoddy reality shows and play basketball on his front lawn, he felt a disconnect. Culture shock. Nothing made sense, even if he made sense of it. At the end of the day, he only ever felt one thing... Homesick.

He sighed and took his report card back from Ed. "Let us begin." Ed only let out his usual bobbly giggle. "Hello..?"

“Oh I know! I'll wear your clothes and go to your house, and you'll go to mine. That way, I can pet the BABY chickens! Then you won't get in trouble, I would."

"Poppycock."

"Oh I know! I we can pitch tent in the playground sandbox, and read my comic books, about the giant cosmic roaches, that nest in the sand. And we'll try to sleep without having nightmares about them crawling into our ears." Ed inched closer the more he spoke, until his forehead touched Rolf's own.

"You are to help Rolf with this predicament!"

"Okay, okay. Patience is a virtue." He plopped all the weight of his hand at the top of Rolf's head before flattening the soft blue hair too roughly. Still, Rolf found the act endearing, as he was only trying to offer the intimacies of friendship. However, his face remained blank. "I can draw you a new card." Ed explained.

"Your clumsy hand is akin to horse's shoe."

"Shiny!"

* * *

The art room of the school wasn't Rolf's favorite place to be. The unnatural, chemical scent of paint was harsh on his sinuses when enclosed in such a small space, and his overgrown limbs crumpled into its plastic chairs about as gracefully as a palace of cards. In life there was no time for beauty. That was why Nana's facepaint was slathered on instead of neatly and intricately placed. That's why he grew hearty vegetables instead of delicate, decorative flowers. On a dish there was no need for decor. You are lucky to have a meal. You are lucky to live in America and have access to public education. And yet, he sat in the art room of his school, across from Ed, one of the most incomprehensible people he'd come across in his entire life, waiting for him to finish recreating a report card to fool his father into thinking the world is his oyster.

"Please stop."

"I'm almost done." Ed whispered. Rolf had never seen his hand so steady. He glided a sharp pigmented pencil so smoothly, so precisely across a page, with Rolf's tarnished report card by its side.  
  
"Rolf no... longer requires your assistance."

He watched as Ed paused in his ministrations, licking his lips in concentrated thought. "I... Don't want you to get... In trouble... Even if... You feel... Bad about lying..." The redhead grinned. "Done! What do you think, Rolf?" He slid the page across the marked up table. It was a perfect copy, almost down to the texture. His father would never be able to distinguish the waxy colored lead from the ink of any printer, and every angle had been perfectly measured by eye. The only time he'd ever seen someone measure perfectly by eye was when he helped his Nana prepare the meat and vegetables for dinner as a child.

"As angular as the star of Yeshmiyek... You give Rolf an A?"

"Yup! Because I believe in cowhands."

"Thank you, fair-haired Ed-boy. You are so very kind." Ed looked up at him expectingly from his seat. "What?"

"Rolf is so cute! Little dickens..."

Rolf figured if he were an animal, his ear would have lifted in curiosity. "Cute?" He searched the enigmatic Ed for further explanation, but none came. Ed only let his head tilt lightly as his demeanor softened.

"Cute like a baby chicken. I want to squish Rolf, but not too tight!" He giggled.

Rolf ignored him, swiping dust off the art class table with his hand. His rough skin caught onto bits of dry paint and sharp edges of sequins cemented into its surface. He put his new card into his bag, crumpling up the old one compactly. "I do not understand. Good day."

Ed pouted, hopping to his feet to trail behind Rolf, who had already walked away from the table. He let out a tiny yelp of his name, wrapping his arms around him loosely.

"What is it now? Oh.." Once Rolf turned back, Ed buried himself into his chest, tightening his arms around Rolf's waist and rubbing his sticky cheek against the flesh of Rolf's collar. The foreign boy felt a tickle trailing up behind his ears, which he assumed to be blood rushing to the tips of his ears. He patted the top of Ed's head. "Yes, goodbye."

His breath caught in his throat, though, the second Ed made a sharp, sudden movement. He'd tried to kiss him on the lips, but Rolf jerked back so he'd only brushed the corner of his mouth and most of his reddened cheek. "What is this," was all he could manage to say.

"I'm saying goodbye," Ed's voice was small, like Rolf should have already known what he meant, but he didn't. He racked his mind for any time he'd ever seen the kids in Peach Creek kiss each other goodbye on the mouth, but he drew a blank. No one had ever done this here. Why was Ed doing this? In his country this was... Uncanny. Rolf panicked, holding Ed's face with his hands.

"Did I squeeze you too hard..?"

"You squeeze Rolf well—Ah, goodbye, yes..?" He shook Ed's head, hoping to bring those distant eyes to center, but they only fell closed. He almost cursed himself for getting into such an awkward situation, until he found himself brushing his thumbs along Ed's speckled cheeks, watching him lean into his touch, and letting their lips meet. At first a slew of shivers overtook them both, as they moved shyly but surely. Unable to stop himself, Ed giggled against Rolf's lips, and the softness of it all made his warmth so welcoming, Rolf brought him closer for a deeper try—but Ed quickly covered his own mouth.

"I forgot about Sarah! I'm going to be in big trouble, Rolf..."

Rolf huffed, disoriented. "R-Rolf is deeply sorry..."

Ed offered a nervous smile. "It's okay. I feel good." Rolf figured the art room wasn't all that evil, then, and took refuge in the light of the setting sun until his legs felt real again.


End file.
